Weekly Training Notes: Don't Just Taper—Peak!

Practical training advice, athlete highlights, and lessons from real training blocks.

Each week I send a short newsletter to my athletes with training tips, coaching notes, and shout-outs. The goal is simple: share things that actually help people train consistently and stay healthy while working toward their goals. Below is an excerpt from a recent newsletter.

Training Tip: Don't Just Taper—Peak!

This is the part of a training cycle where your mind can start working against you.

During a taper, if a workout doesn't go exactly how you want, it gets in your head. If something feels slightly off, you start paying too much attention to it. Before long, you're thinking ahead to race day, questioning how those last few miles are going to feel and whether you'll be able to push when it counts.

It's easy to get caught up in that if you're not careful.

What's helped over time is simply having gone through it enough to know better. There are races where the final couple of weeks don't feel great—workouts feel flat, small aches pop up, and the confidence just isn't there. And then race day comes, and it's different. You're rested, there's energy around you, and your body responds in a way it doesn't during a random solo workout.

That's where the shift happens.

Instead of thinking about this phase as just "tapering," think about it as peaking.

Tapering is just reducing the work. Peaking is about getting yourself ready to perform.

1. Don't Chase Fitness Right Now

The work is already done. You're not going to gain meaningful fitness in the final couple of weeks—but you can absolutely carry unnecessary fatigue into race day if you try to do too much. Let the fitness you've built come to the surface.

2. Keep Some Rhythm in Your Running

Backing off doesn't mean shutting it down completely. You still want to touch race pace, keep some light intensity, and remind your body how things should feel. The goal is to stay sharp, not tired.

3. Expect Things to Feel a Little Weird

As your volume drops, your legs might feel off and your timing might feel slightly out of sync. Not every run is going to feel amazing during a taper. That doesn't mean you're losing fitness—it's just part of the process.

4. Protect Your Confidence

This might be the most important piece. Be mindful of how you're interpreting your runs right now. One workout doesn't define your fitness. Look at the full body of work you've put together over the past few months.

5. Remember: Racing Feels Different Than Training

You won't be alone. You'll be rested. The adrenaline will be there. Your body is capable of more on race day than it feels like in a controlled workout setting. Trust that.

The Key Idea

You're not building fitness right now—you're letting it show up.

Keep a little intensity so you stay sharp. Don't judge your fitness off one run. Expect things to feel a little off at times. And trust your training, not the noise in your head.

Bringing It Back to the Big Picture

Whether you're heading into a taper or still in the middle of a build, the mental side of training is just as real as the physical side. A few imperfect runs don't undo months of consistent work.

Stay steady, trust your training, and show up ready.

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